Description
Book Synopsis Russia''s surprising return to the world stage since 2000 has aroused the curiosity--if not the fear--of the West. Gradually, the Kremlin went from a policy of deference to foreign powers to acting with independence. The driver of this transformation was President Vladimir Putin, who with skillful caution navigated Russia back into the ranks of global powers. In theaters of conflict such as Georgia, Syria and Ukraine, the Kremlin won significant victories at little cost to consolidate its decisive position.
Following a chronological approach from the fall of the Soviet Union to the present, this book draws on new documents to describe how Russia regained its former global prominence. Clear accounts of key decisions and foreign policy events--many presented for the first time--provide important insights into the major confrontations with the West.
Trade Reviewa fascinating overview of Russian foreign policy informed first and foremost by Russian logic and narratives of international relations. Such a Russian-centric approach is arguably rare in Western academic writing, and in it lies the value of the book as a guide to the Russian view of the world and international relations." - Europe-Asia Studies, 74:6, July 2022
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Preface
Part I. The Age of Illusions
1. The Collapse of an Empire
2. Turmoil and War in the "Near Abroad"
3. The West and the First Chechnya War
4. The New Architecture for Relations with the West
5. Ukraine: Deceptive Calm
6. The Turning Point: Kosovo
Part II. From Acquiescence to Resistance
7. The Second Chechnya War and Islamic Radicalism
8. Bridges to the West
9. Russia and the U.S. Invasion of Iraq
10. Seeking Friendships
11. Russia in the Middle East
12. The West on the Offensive
13. Response to the Color Revolutions
14. Skirmishes with the West
15. Countdown to Collision
16. The Five Day War with Georgia
17. The Response of the West to the War
18. Friends in the Caucasus
Part III. Russia Ascendant
19. A Foreign Ministry for a World Power
20. The Reset in U.S. Relations with Russia
21. The Reset in the Near Abroad
22. Growing Divergences with the West
23. Crisis in Ukraine
24. Reprisals Over Ukraine
25. Russia on the Offensive
26. The Russian Diplomatic Campaign
27. The Rollercoaster of U.S.-Russia Relations
Chapter Notes
Annotated Bibliography
Index
